Applicant's system relates generally to housing systems for animals, and more particularly to housing systems for raising poultry or other fowl.
The domestication of animals for the beneficial use of human needs has led to the use of man-made animal housing structures. These animal housing structures are used to protect livestock from the elements and from predators, and to enable the efficient care and enhanced productivity of the livestock.
As mechanization and computerization have become available in agriculture, animal housing has evolved to enable improvements in the efficiency of care and the level of productivity. An increasingly important aspect of animal housing is the provision of humane care and relative freedom of movement.
Important advancements have been made in animal housing systems through the automation of water delivery systems, feed delivery systems, air delivery systems, product removal systems and waste products removal systems. Examples of these include regulated water pressure in conjunction with nipple drinkers for chickens, chain or auger feed delivery for chickens and hogs, fans or wall curtains for the supply of fresh air and the removal of stale air, egg belts for layer chicken egg collection, and scrapers or manure belts for the removal of hog and chicken manure, respectively. All of these systems have been further enhanced by the use of automatic control systems to improve reliability, efficiency and productivity.
In general, advances have been achieved in animal housing systems by more efficiently delivering necessary animal provisions (such as water, feed and air) to the animals and by more efficiently removing useful products (such as eggs) or waste products (such as manure and stale air) from the animals.
As these advances have occurred, the complexity and therefore the capital cost and maintenance requirements have increased. Using high density layer houses as an example, there are many mechanical components required such as motors, gearboxes, pulleys, flat belts, chains and augers used to either distribute material to the chickens throughout the house or to collect material from the chickens throughout the house.
Recently, the provision of more humane care and allowance for freedom of movement of chickens has become important to consumers and, therefore, producers of eggs and other poultry products. Equipment such as community nests, aviaries, colony housing and enriched cages have been developed to provide for these additional requirements. All housing systems still require the use of multiple systems to deliver provisions and remove products and waste products with the resulting high complexity, capital cost and maintenance requirements.